1 The Pomona Jobs Program
A Public Jobs Program Modeling High Road Training Partnerships (HRTP) to Place Individuals from Low-Income Pomona Households Who Are Unemployed or Underemployed in Good-Paying, Local, Long-term Jobs
Budget:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1DtHQHUjW5rLTs3Tm1koUIBs9MqT5pBIX /edit#gid=344350399
Section 1
Program Overview
The Latino-Latina Roundtable of the San Gabriel and Pomona Valley (LRT), in partnership with the Institute for Ecological Civilization (EcoCiv) and the Wellbeing Economy Alliance (WEAll) California Hub, seek funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to help launch the Pomona Jobs Program (PJP). This public jobs program will establish industry-led High Road Training Partnerships (HRTPs) to enhance job training for eligible Pomona residents. The Pomona Jobs Program aims to create a minimum of 30 - 50 jobs in two or three high-demand sectors for which program beneficiaries will be prepared, and into which they will be hired by the end of the ARPA grant funding deadline in 2026. These jobs will be quality jobs that have benefits, provide a livable wage, and are local.
This program addresses ARPA requirements by providing assistance to COVID-19 impacted households and serving as an economic recovery tool for the City of Pomona. The proposed project will be a model for future job creation partnerships and serve as a strategic investment in critical infrastructure for a long-lived asset - the Pomona Jobs Program - that will provide benefits over many years to beneficiaries of high-quality jobs. Upon successful completion of the launch phase of the program, ongoing operational expenses would be minimal, as a primary objective here is to create long-term systems change in the local workforce that includes local hiring and ongoing supportive employee practices of participating employers.
LRT would be the primary recipient of the requested funds, with EcoCiv as a subcontracted recipient, which includes the WEAll California Hub, housed by EcoCiv.
CHERP Solar Works, a Pomona-based nonprofit solar panel manufacturing company, has been confirmed as an initial partner to hire the first PJP beneficiaries in the solar sector HRTP.
2 1.1 Justification
Need & Beneficiaries
The City of Pomona is home to many community members who have been significantly impacted by the pandemic. The city developed a COVID Action Committee, composed of local community partners working together to address the effects of the pandemic, including access to basic needs and overall community health and wellness. The City of Pomona understands that recovery from the pandemic is a comprehensive and ongoing effort that will require innovation and successful execution of multiple strategies to mitigate the long-lasting effects, which include unemployment and the need for retraining.
The City of Pomona is diverse and rich in history. The demographics show that currently it is a young city, with a large Latino population. However, there are disparities that cannot be ignored. With a median age of 34 and a population that is 72% Latino, and 81% of whom are without a bachelor’s degree, together these circumstances create a need to bring in resources to this area immediately. The poverty rate in Pomona is 17.9%. This is in contrast to the nationwide rate of 11.4%.
The U.S. Treasury Department’s Final Rule recognizes the employment-related needs and harms that Pomona’s low-income residents have experienced due to the pandemic, and endorses the type of solution that the PJP will provide. The beneficiaries targeted by this program are Pomona residents, namely individuals from low-income households who are unemployed or underemployed.
Strategy
The Pomona Jobs Program (PJP) will apply the California Workforce Development Board’s High Road Training Partnership (HRTP) model. HRTPs focus on investment in human capital, building long-term career pathways that provide family-sustaining wages. HRTPs require deep collaboration between employers, workers, education partners, and the workforce system. They take advantage of the abundant and effective workforce education and training programs that already exist in the community.
At the same time, the HRTPs re-think these programs in the context of specific needs of their employees. With the HRTP model, development of education and training programs starts with the needs of unemployed workers, and then obtains commitments from industry partners to help meet those employment needs. The PJP will bring together a strong worker voice with industry needs to design and deliver a job program that brings long-term benefits for Pomona residents.
3 Pilot Project in the Solar Sector
The PJP’s pilot HRTP will be formed in collaboration with CHERP Solar Works, a non- outsourced, worker-owned solar factory in Pomona. CHERP is committed to the HRTP approach of the PJP. It is committed to ensuring that worker voices are central to refining and improving training for the manufacturing jobs, developing a supportive culture in the workplace, and developing additional jobs. These practices will set our region’s solar energy industry on the “high road.”
Barriers to training may be discovered as the PJP works with beneficiaries at varying levels of readiness and at various points in their lives. The HRTP will be critical for developing creative and innovative solutions to overcome those barriers. For example, HRTPs that serve workers similar to the PJP’s beneficiaries have addressed barriers related to transportation and work schedule, costs of equipment and training, relevant language acquisition, child care, developing flexibility in the process of achieving industry credentials, and similar needs.
Working with Anchor Institutions
The solar sector is not the only sector that will benefit from the PJP via HRTPs. Once the CHERP Pilot Project HRTP is successfully launched, the PJP will turn the focus to anchor institutions in the City of Pomona to identify new potential HRTP employment positions. Anchor institutions are the larger, long-term institutions in any given city or region. Examples of anchors are city governments, universities, school systems, hospitals, and community foundations. The UCSF Anchor Institution Initiative describes them as “place-based, mission-driven entities … that leverage their economic power alongside their human and intellectual resources to improve the long-term health and social welfare of their communities.” By their very nature, they are motivated to engage in long-term planning that aligns their institutional interests with those of the community.
The PJP will also involve unions in the HRTPs to develop career pathways, apprenticeships, and industry-specific training and education. The LTR, from its founding nearly two decades ago, has been a staunch and active supporter of labor.
The relationships and reputation that it has developed will allow the PJP to take immediate advantage of the strength and expertise that unions can provide for the beneficiaries.
1.2 Goals, Objectives and Outcomes
Goal
4 The overarching goal of the Pomona Jobs Program is to implement High Road Training Partnerships (HRTPs) to recruit, train and employ 30 - 50 beneficiaries in good-paying, high road, long-term jobs in Pomona.
Objectives
1. Establish and facilitate a HRTP in the solar sector with CHERP Solar Works
2. Work with Pomona anchor institutions to establish and facilitate at least one HRTP in another sector (e.g. janitorial, landscaping, etc.).
3. Facilitate a permanent shift in hiring practices by Pomona (and Pomona-area) anchor institutions. Assist HR departments with updating their hiring and ongoing HR policies to support vulnerable populations like those in the PJP.
Outcomes
The following outcomes will determine success in the program:
● Job receivers are ARPA-qualified beneficiaries
● Of the beneficiaries who begin HRTP-developed training and education, 75% will complete the program.
● Of the beneficiaries placed in jobs, 75% will remain in those positions, or will be employed in jobs considered advancements along a career pathway cultivated by a PJP HRTP, for at least 6 months after initial employment. ● The HRTP in the solar energy industry will be well established and will have connected many PJP beneficiaries to good jobs.
● At least one other HRTP will be established and will have begun training, educating, and hiring beneficiaries for in-demand jobs in its industry. ● Surveys and interviews of PJP beneficiaries will show that they find PJP programs to be relevant to their employment needs, capable of addressing barriers to participation, and supportive throughout the process from initial contact through training, employment, and job orientation, and on to long- term job satisfaction and sufficient opportunity and preparation for career advancement.
● At least 30 - 50 beneficiaries will secure good-paying, high road, long-term jobs, in which they will remain for at least six-months of employment. ● Anchor institutions will commit to hiring locally.
Section 2
Scope of Work
2.1 Program Plan
2.1.1 Timeline
5 Workstream m= month
M 1-5 M 6-10 M 11-15 M 16 - 20 M 21 - 25 M 26 - 30
Workstream 1: Establish
Pomona Jobs Project
Design and prepare to
launch HRTP in solar
sector with CHERP
Develop relationships,
design, and prepare to
launch HRTP in other
sectors
Workstream 2: Launch HRTP
with CHERP in solar sector
Workstream 3: Launch HRTP
with anchor institutions in other
sectors
2.2.2 Technical Proposal
Workstream 1: Establish Pomona Jobs Program
Hiring Program Staff
The first step in establishing the PJP is hiring the necessary personnel to implement the program. The Directors of Latino-Latina Roundtable (LRT) and the Institute for Ecological Civilization (EcoCiv) will hire a Community Organizer, Employment Coordinator, and Program Services Assistant. During Workstream 1, work plans will be developed and timelines will be finalized.
Initial Convening
To initiate the HRTPs, the Community Organizer and Employment Coordinator will begin by convening potential beneficiaries and their representatives, unions and other worker organizations, and employers to build committed partnerships based on trust.
This convening and relationship building will begin with the solar sector, but will soon expand into other sectors. Following this initial convening to ensure stakeholder alignment, working relationships between key institutions and the PJP team will be managed to create job and workforce development opportunities for the beneficiaries and the anchor institutions. The exact work plan will be adjusted and refined as is appropriate.
Recruiting Beneficiaries
6 The Community Organizer will then develop a strategy for outreach to potential beneficiaries in areas designated as low-income by federal standards. They will work directly in the community, encouraging unemployed- or under-employed Pomona residents to apply for the job training program. This will include holding special “job fair” events and representing the PJP at other community events to explain the program and opportunity.
The Community Organizer’s goal will be to have 100 Pomona residents fill out the Request to Participate form in the initial cohort. These 100 persons will then be screened for eligibility. The criteria for eligibility will include ● Being a resident of Pomona
● Unemployed or underemployed
● Impacted by Covid
● have barriers or challenges to finding employment
● willing to commit to attend workshops and to be part of the pilot program.
We estimate that 20% will not qualify after the screening. That means that roughly 80 candidates will be deemed eligible in the initial cohort. Beneficiaries will then be invited to a Pomona Jobs Program orientation session. Those who enroll will receive an assessment of their needs and interests.
Overall, the Community Organizer’s primary responsibility in Workstream 1 is to identify and support potential beneficiaries in order to increase their interest in the program. A key success metric for the Community organizer will be identifying the ~50 beneficiaries for the PJP.
Training
Qualifying beneficiaries will then move on to an initial six-week training program. In Workstream 1, the Workforce Development Trainer (contractor) will be responsible for designing trainings and workshops, and identifying existing job training programs in Pomona whenever possible, such as America’s Job Center of Pomona.
Each training session offers standard skills development such as resume building, job searching, and interviewing skills. Soft-skills are also addressed, such as time management, professional attire, and more. Training sessions consist of 12 workshops, with each workshop 60-90 minutes in length. Ideally, some will be offered in online format. Graduates must attend no fewer than ten of the six workshops.
7 While the beneficiaries complete these, they will meet with a staff member who will do a skills assessment and assist them in writing their resume. Knowing their skills and aptitude helps in locating the appropriate job opportunities.
Additionally, the Workforce Development Trainer will hold monthly workshops with the PJP beneficiaries to serve as “check-in” points, and to provide resources and support. Program monitoring and evaluation will also occur at these check-ins via regular surveys, interviews, and assessments.
Graduates next move on to more intensive, industry-specific training, offered by the potential employer or by trainers in that sector. In the HRTP model, the employers pre-commit to hire workers who graduate successfully from the PJP training program. The length of this second training will vary depending on the job.
We anticipate holding three iterations of the training sessions throughout the Program’s 30 month timeframe.
Employer Match
In Workstream 1, the Employment Coordinator will identify potential matches between beneficiaries and employers. The Employment Coordinator will formally secure job placement sites at companies like CHERP (in Workstream 2) and other anchor institutions (in Workstream 3). They will establish relationships with Human Resources departments at these institutions to support their capacity to hire PJP beneficiaries and maintain them over the long term as successful employees.
A key success metric for the Employment Coordinator will be establishing and facilitating the HRTP in the solar sector with CHERP (for Workstream 2), and identifying, establishing relationships with, and facilitating the HRTP in additional sectors (for Workstream 3). The Employment Coordinator will also be responsible for working closely with the Community Organizer to match prospective beneficiaries with appropriate job placements, to obtain commitments from each anchor institution to hire a specific number of PJP beneficiaries, and to design program evaluations.
Throughout Workstream 1, a Program Services Assistant will support the LRT Executive Director in outreach, communications, social media, document tracking, and other administrative/operational functions.
Workstream 2: Launch HRTP with CHERP and other businesses in the solar sector
8 The first HRTP that the PJP will develop is within the solar energy sector, partnering with CHERP Solar Works, a Pomona-based nonprofit solar panel manufacturing company. CHERP has well-developed plans to lead the growth of jobs in the industry in our region to include installation and maintenance of solar panels and other adjacent careers. The HRTP in the solar sector with CHERP will function as a pilot launch. PJP will then work to extend the job placement successes in the green energy sector to other green energy businesses in the area, focusing especially on solar panel production. Later in the PJP program (see Workstream 3 below), the same HRTP methods will be used with anchor institutions in the region.
Within the HRTP with CHERP and other green energy partners, services that the beneficiaries will receive include:
● Intake program and mentorship program development
● Services addressing potential barriers to employment
● A six-week initial job training program including sector-specific knowledge or safety requirements, as well as soft skills including time management, professional attire, etc.
● Placement services matching beneficiaries with appropriate employers ● Follow-up training for specific job-related abilities. (This training will be offered by the potential employer.)
● Workshops every month that will include “check-in” points that will provide resources and support throughout their employment.
● Ongoing support through the first six months of employment, both for the beneficiaries and the anchor institutions (particularly their HR departments)
In Workstream 2, the Community Organizer will manage a predicted caseload of 30- 35 beneficiaries. They will work with beneficiaries and the Employment Coordinator to identify specific job placement within CHERP or similar businesses, or will help prepare the beneficiary for a position at an anchor institution, if deemed more appropriate.
The Community Organizer will work closely with the HR department of the participating businesses, providing input on ways to structure and support beneficiaries through PJP, and helping influence hiring processes over the long term to retain these hires. This includes identifying barriers to participation and working with HR departments to design programs and policies that help to overcome these barriers. In the pilot phase, the Community Organizer will establish communication and operating procedures, identify assistance needed for legal or contractual needs (such as employment contracts), and make sure that the values of PJP (especially personal and communal wellbeing) are foundational in the job placements. The 9 Community Organizer will lead in conducting surveys and interviews of the beneficiaries.
In Workstream 2, the Employment Coordinator will manage a caseload of 15-30 beneficiaries. The Employment Coordinator will also work with all beneficiaries and with the Community Organizer in conducting pre-employment interviews to determine skills and best fit for employment placement. Workstream 2 also includes working with the Workforce Training Contractor on elements of the six-week training related to employer expectations. Overall, the Employment Coordinator will interface between the beneficiaries and the employer, working closely with the HR department to support the development of permanent policies that reflect the values of the PJP (wellbeing, family-centered, etc.). The Employment Coordinator will check in with beneficiaries on a regular basis, including assessing positive aspects of the employment and areas for improvement. The Employment Coordinator will work closely with the Community Organizer to understand beneficiaries’ needs in the pilot to improve the approach for Workstream 3.
Example of HRTP hiring organization
CHERP has built and outfitted a factory in Pomona that is poised to hire approximately 33 workers. CHERPs solar panels include proprietary technology that makes them easier to manufacture, immune to the “hot-spot” fire hazard, and more efficient. The planned factory jobs are family-supporting and will provide workplace experience and industry certifications that will allow the workers to move up to even better paying positions, either with CHERP or at other manufacturing and energy- sector businesses. As the initial employees become experienced and move up to more advanced jobs, their former positions will be again open for new hires. The beneficiaries of the PJP—low-income Pomona residents, especially those with additional barriers to employment—can and should fill these positions.
Fortunately, CHERP, which will be the primary industry partner in the initial solar energy HRTP, is already committed to hiring low-income Pomona residents, including those with life experiences that have traditionally been barriers to employment. CHERP welcomes the opportunity to participate in a partnership with LRT/EcoCiv and the worker representatives that LRT will organize because it understands the importance of tailoring its training programs and work culture to provide the necessary skills and support for the PJP’s beneficiaries. To do this, CHERP will need to listen carefully to, first, the potential workers, and later to its employees who are in the thick of work on the factory floor. The Community Organizer and Employment Coordinator will ensure that the Partnership activities seek worker input in various formats, and that worker leaders are identified and trained from the start to 10 participate in Partnership governance. This attention to worker voice will ensure that training and education, on-the-job support, pay levels, safety considerations, and career advancement opportunities motivate workers to stick with their training and, once hired, perform consistently at a high level.
Later in Workstream 2, PJP will build on the successes with CHERP to arrange similar job placements with other businesses in the solar panel and green energy sector.
Workstream 3: Launch HRTP with anchor institutions in other sectors Once the pilot solar sector HRTP has launched and the approach has been evaluated and improved upon (the evaluation and improvements will be happening concurrently in Workstream 2), the PJP will expand into additional sectors within anchor institutions to reach the ultimate goal of training 30-50 beneficiaries.
Regional anchor institutions that could be approached include:
● Pomona Valley Hospital
● Casa Colina Hospital and Centers for Healthcare
● Fairplex
● University of La Verne
● Cal Poly Pomona
● Western University of Health Sciences
● Mt. San Antonio College
● The 5 Claremont Colleges
● The school districts of Pomona, Claremont, and Bonita ● The city governments of Pomona, La Verne, Claremont, and San Dimas
These anchor institutions employ workers from a range of sectors that have been the focus of HRTPs. One example is the janitorial industry, which has been the focus of other HRTPs and anchor institutions (e.g. OWN Rochester). Other promising sectors in Pomona for which the PJP may organize an HRTP include landscaping, food production, and food service. Workers and experts from the urban farming movement in Pomona (and/or possibly the street vendor/catering industry) could join anchor institution members in an HRTP that assesses and organizes local demand for locally produced food—initially within the anchor institutions. The HRTP would then problem-solve to consolidate and meet the demand for workers.
In Workstream 3, the process for launching the HRPT in Workstream 2 would be replicated in other anchor institutions, including providing support in developing HR policies to promote long-term employment of PJP beneficiaries (and other workers from low income or otherwise vulnerable backgrounds).
11 Section 3
Staff
The PJP will be co-led by the Directors of the two collaborating organizations, the Latino/Latina Roundtable (LRT), and the Institute for Ecological Civilization (EcoCiv) in partnership with WEAll California Hub. The proposal envisions hiring three new staff persons, with skills in workforce development:
3.1 Executive Director (Latino/Latina Roundtable, Lina Mira) ● Establishes and facilitates the PJP including
○ Convenes stakeholders regularly to identify needs and solutions ○ Establishes PJP timelines, goals, work plans, and deadlines ○ Refines PJP goals and develops comprehensive output and outcome measures; implements Program Evaluation
○ Is responsible for reporting requirements of the ARPA grant ● Develops relationships with, evaluates the relevance of, and, when appropriate, engages the services of job training programs available at public and private institutions in the community
● Manages the Community Organizer and Program Services Assistant
3.2 Executive Director (EcoCiv, Philip Clayton)
● Establishes and facilitates the PJP including
○ Convenes stakeholders regularly to identify needs and solutions ○ Establishes PJP timelines, goals, work plans, and deadlines
12 ○ Refines PJP goals and develops comprehensive output and outcome measures; implements Program Evaluation
○ Is responsible for reporting requirements of the ARPA grant ● Develops relationships with, evaluates the relevance of, and, when appropriate, engages the services of job training programs available at public and private institutions in the community
● Manages the Employment Coordinator
3.3 Community Organizer (program / new hire / full-time) Recruitment
● Develops and implements a strategy for outreach to potential beneficiaries of the PJP program in neighborhoods identified as low-income by federal standards
● Works directly in the community, encouraging unemployed Pomona residents to register for the job training program
● Holds outreach events to educate the community about the PJP, and to identify and secure the participation of beneficiaries
● Assists individuals interested in participating in the PJP to determine their eligibility, makes necessary arrangements, and connects with necessary support services to enable their participation
Onboarding & training beneficiaries
● Manages a predicted caseload of 30-35 beneficiaries of the program at any given time
● Works with beneficiaries to identify job opportunity interests and training needs
● Works with beneficiaries to locate services and supports necessary to eliminate any barriers to participation in training programs, and any barriers that might prevent participants’ access to jobs developed by the PJP ● Works closely with HR departments of anchor institutions to support beneficiaries
● Ongoing support through the first six months of employment Assisting with communications & operational procedures
● Establishes communication and operational procedures
● Accesses needed assistance to help develop legal instruments (e.g. employment contracts, etc.)
● Maintains the core values of the PJP and its focus on the wellbeing of beneficiaries by ensuring that the jobs to which beneficiaries are directed are family-supporting, include whole-person supports to reinforce success on the job, and offer meaningful, accessible advancement pathways ● Conducts ongoing and follow-up surveys
13 3.4 Employment Coordinator (program / new hire / full-time) Developing job placement partnerships
● Identifies potential matches between beneficiaries and employers ● Evaluates sites that are a good match for this program ○ Assesses the sites, talking to potential supervisors
● Seeks partnerships for job placements for the beneficiaries ○ Makes phone calls/contacts/networking
○ Works closely with job placement sites for the beneficiaries ○ Builds relationships with potential employers
● Establishes & facilitates the solar energy sector HRTP ○ Coordinates CHERP HRTP project
● Identifies priorities and establishes additional HRTPs ● Conducts follow-up surveys
● Obtains commitments from anchor institutions in our region to hire a specific number of graduates from the PJP
Beneficiary Engagement
● Manages a predicted caseload of 15-30 beneficiaries of the program at any given time
● Conducts pre-employment interviews to determine skills and best fit ● Conducts orientation for beneficiaries based on what employers are expecting ○ Ex. be on time, dress professionally, etc.
○ In coordination with Community Organizer
● Interfaces between beneficiaries and employers when problems arise ● Conducts follow-up check-in meetings with beneficiaries ○ What do you like about your job? Not like?
● Works with the Community Organizer to understand potential beneficiaries’ and hired beneficiaries’ needs so that job opportunities training and worker supports are aligned to those needs
● Shares the vision of equitable workplaces with employers
3.5 Program Services Assistant (admin / new hire / quarter-time)
● Assists with PJP communications and social media
● Documents and tracks the eligibility and progress of beneficiaries ● Assists Executive Directors with outreach to partners, foundations, etc.
3.6 Additional Staff Resources, Experience, and Qualifications
The Latino-Latina Roundtable has worked in the Pomona community for many years. 14 Because our community is almost three-quarters self-identified as Latino/Latina, the existence of a community roundtable dedicated to dialogue with and among Latino/Latina residents is vital.
The Latino-Latina Roundtable has the necessary capacity to administer the PJP. Its board includes city leaders, leaders of community-based organizations, and diverse representatives of Pomona’s residents. It is chaired by a well-known Latino professor at Pitzer College. LRT has carried out numerous projects in Pomona, has convened dozens and dozens of community meetings, actions, and celebrations, has supported community initiatives, and has led or co-led multiple community projects. LRT is especially famous for its listening sessions, in which Latino/Latina residents speak their needs and share their insights.
Finally, the Latino-Latina Roundtable is defined by the values behind this project, and it is experienced with the methods being used. The crisis of unemployment, and the wellbeing of Latino/Latina workers, has long been a focus of LRT. Historically, many of LRT’s actions have directly supported Latino/Latina businesses in Pomona.
Mutually supportive cooperation in the Latino/Latina community is strong.
EcoCiv will assist with overall project management and strategy. EcoCiv, which has extensive experience in capacity strengthening for programs that are directly benefiting vulnerable populations, is responsible for connecting beneficiaries and anchor institutions as well as anchor institutions and larger networks. EcoCiv is experienced in developing local partnerships, as demonstrated through its successful Water Hubs program, currently active in three countries. Relationship-building, capacity strengthening, and facilitation are core to the EcoCiv methodology.
EcoCiv partners with the Wellbeing Economy Alliance (WEAll.org) to facilitate on- the-ground work in California. For example, EcoCiv hosts the “WEAll California Hub,” which supports California cities like Pomona that are implementing local reforms that help to generate a “wellbeing economy” for all residents. WEAll works on economic systems change at the global level and supports placed-based work, such as the Pomona Jobs Program, by lending skills and resources to its partners. As EcoCiv is the host of the WEAll California Hub, the network and connections WEAll provides add additional support to this project. To date, WEAll staff have introduced the PJP team to the nonprofits Democracy Collaborative and Lift Economy, whose leaders have more than 10 years of experience in establishing and growing worker-owned cooperatives and other types of anchor cooperative models. WEAll is committed to continuing its supporting role with EcoCiv and LRT at no cost to the partner organizations.
15 Section 4: Budget
4.1 Budget: Please see attached.
4.2 Budget Narrative:
Program Cost and Services
The anticipated cost per new long-term employment of a Pomona beneficiary is $12,615. (This is the total program cost divided by 50 newly employed residents.) By comparison, ARPA-funded programs report that the cost per employed individual typically falls in the range $14,000 - $16,000, with some programs spending up to $24,000 per new employee.
Outsourced Beneficiary Workforce Development Training Calculations
Training Program Design & Implementation
Design training programs, identify training available in the community, assist with program monitoring and evaluation via regular surveys, interviews, and assessments. 25 days throughout the 30 month Program @ $300/day = $7500
Conduct Six-week course
6 weeks x 3 iterations = 18 weeks = 90 training days
Daily rate $300 x 90 days = $27,000
Conduct Workshops
Monthly workshops x 30 months = 30 workshops
Daily rate $300 x 30 = $9,000
TOTAL: $7500 + $27,000 + $9,000 = $43,500 = $1,450/month.
Section 5: Program Evaluation
5.1 Evaluation Plan
The PJP is designed to provide beneficiaries the job experience and training they need to find and keep employment, and to move towards jobs that support a four-person family. In order to measure these program outcomes, it is necessary to track beneficiaries’ employment patterns before, during and after they leave the program. 16 Program outcomes will be tracked using surveys and focus groups, interviews of partners, observations, data collection of enrollment numbers, etc.
Beneficiaries:
Qualitative and quantitative data will be collected to include job interests, skills training needs, and potential barriers to be addressed, as well as positions secured, wage progression, and job retention.
Employers:
Qualitative and quantitative data will be collected to include pre- and post-hiring practices, sector staffing needs, training needs, and number of beneficiaries hired.
Program evaluation will demonstrate that HRTP jobs have been created for residents of the City of Pomona, with documentation of successful employment reported to the City quarterly. Analysis of post-employment status for each participant will be conducted six months after the date of hire.
Results analysis will determine a) if the PJP has successfully facilitated the hire of 30 - 50 beneficiaries into HRTP jobs, b) the success of establishing a HRTP in Pomona’s solar sector and at least one other HRTP identified through collaboration with Pomona anchor institutions, and c) if Pomona anchor institutions have changed their hiring and training practices to serve the needs of local community residents.
At the beginning of the program, the typical beneficiary will be a person who is at home now, unemployed or underemployed, and who is presently trying to get back to work. The question is: what do they need to be motivated and successful, and to achieve their goals?
The Pomona Jobs Program (PJP) is modeled on the High Road Training Partnership (HRTP) model, which the State of California had endorsed by 2017. The HRTP approach continues to stand at the center of state-funded employment development programs. The ”success stories” from this High Road approach are individuals who have the training and support to remain long-term in high-paying jobs - jobs that bring pride and financial security to workers, so that worker earnings can keep a family of four financially comfortable over the long term.
17